After the termination of the original contract, the state found a new contractor to continue work. A 69 News crew is at the scene of this developing story. Many have been My concern is (if) there are other examples out there of marked drawings that are incomplete. The $3.3 million project was further hindered when crews determined that more than 30 new bearings were not designed properly. in 1953. The incident added many years to the projected completion of the new bridge. construction in the United States and Canada. a new contractor. Copyright 2022 by WDIV ClickOnDetroit - All rights reserved. The bridge carries the I-75 / US 23 road. Insofar as that is the case, we will have continuing problems with repairs, whether its bridges, roads or any other construction projects that the state of Michigan has undertaken.. When the bridge opened for river traffic, it sometimes caused miles-long traffic jams, especially during heavy travel days around the holidays and the start of firearms deer hunting season. The (Please remember while reading the report, back end and drives directly off. In May of 1987, the Michigan Traffic: Estimated 21,600,000 vehicles per year. The bridge design called for expansion joints that would enable the bridge to expand and contract as the temperature rose and fell. filled with cement grout under high pressure. The Zilwaukee Bridge is a.high level bridge carrying I-75 [and US-23] over the Saginaw River at Zilwaukee. Zilwaukee Bridge - Old. The present structure was designed to relieve traffic congestion along the freeway crossing it, resulting from repeated openings of the draw span for lake freighter traffic serving industrial sites along the river. In 1979, construction on the elevated Zilwaukee Bridge, which accommodates both boat and vehicle traffic, began. Its like a teacher waved a magic wand and did the work for me. A Saginaw News article reported in 1954 that some German immigrants who would come through New York City would sign agreements to work in Zilwaukee, thinking they were heading to Milwaukee. But the $3.3 million project hit some road blocks in March, forcing motorists to steer around the bridge for at least another two months. 107. The original bid for the project was $76.8 million. it joins. MDOT spokesman William L. Shreck said old construction plans are not a new issue, but the problem with the Zilwaukee Bridge was. Read: The Z-Bridge: The turbulent history behind Michigans Zilwaukee Bridge. He enjoys suffering through Lions games on Sundays in the fall. The bridge has twin decks built of a series The Saginaw News reported on the price tag to keep the Zilwaukee Bridge free of snow and ice.The don't use cheap salt which would result in corrosion of. The mayor said he also is concerned about emergency responders having easy access to the city. To use information contained on this site is to do so at your own risk. Neither do we. at the intersecting roads. pieces will fit perfectly when they are placed together on the bridge. Around the time of opening, the Zilwaukee Bridge saw roughly 11.3 million vehicles cross per year, according to MDOT. which are hollow and usually rectangular in shape. At Zilwaukee, these jobs are accomplished by two specially To ease the commute along this route, a bridge was constructed over the Saginaw River. the opening of the (original) Zilwaukee Bridge in 1960 it became clear And thanks to Chris Bessert for compiling all of this great historical information. can be pulled from either end. The bridge in question that "collapsed in the 1950s" has to be the Cass Avenue bridge, though re-using this bridge is something I've never heard about before. Others just marvel at its vast span and view of the Saginaw River. 120 and 160 tons. beginning at the existing route (Dixie Hwy) in Bridgeport, continuing northerly With the implementation of Interstate Highway System, developed by the Dwight D. Eisenhower administration, the two-lane highway was incorporated into the new highway which ran from Detroit to the Mackinac Bridge. They weigh between These features expand or contract with the temperature, giving the bridge the ability to adjust to both the warm Michigan summers and extreme colds of winter without sacrificing structural stability. concrete segment onto the bridge, is the equivalent of 49 fully-loaded When the block was crushed, a 300-foot-long section of bridge deck sagged 5 feet on one end and rose 3-and-a-half feet on the other, according to MDOT records. A bit of a boring one, the Zilwaukee Bridge carries I-75 and US-23 over the Saginaw River and connects Zilwaukee with Zilwaukee Township. He succumbed to a year-long battle with glioblastoma, an aggressive brain cancer, in March 2018. The project ran from April 2013 through 2015. The worst back-ups, of course, occurred during Here's a copy of letters this week from an MDOT engineer to Kahn and from Kahn to MDOT's director about the Zilwaukee Bridge construction mishap. of the ramp, now scheduled to open this year. In April 2008, a scheduled $3.3-million construction project to replace bridge bearingsdesigned to support up to 8,000,000 pounds eachwhich allow the bridge to move as much as a foot hit a snag. On December 7, 2012 the Detroit News reported that a $70 million MDOT program would commence the following April to replace 154 bearings, rebuild 4 miles of I-75, replace the Janes Road bridge, and repair the CSX and Wadsworth Road rail bridges in the area. computer-aided design drawings for projects built since the mid-1990s. All rights reserved (About Us). The Zilwaukee Bridge has some impressive specifications. ), The This would have been a big enough problem with only the increased vehicle traffic, but Michigan's growing economy also meant that shipping traffic was rapidly increasing. subjected every day to far heavier weights than it will ever experience The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. Engineers said even after 35 years, its holding up well. it was issued prior to the completion of the bridge and is worded accordingly. directly on the bridge superstructure. 1987a nice Christmas present, four years after the bridge was to be We need to make sure that we have good agreements with partner about how our bidding changes when the opponents come into the auction. A match-cast segment is attached to one side of that pier group By 1982, the 52 piers that would support the bridge were finished, and expansion joints were being added. It was the only stop on I-75 from southern Florida to the northern tip of Michigan. In an August 22, 1989 article, The a major concern with the public at the time. fixed to the opposite end. We have some major businesses here in town that must have that expressway open.. During construction, the expansion joints were held in place by compression blocks that prevented them from moving until the box-girder deck was completed. The tractor simply delivers the segment The incident in August 1982 was caused by a large amount of mispositioned weight during the installation of a segment between two piers, according to MDOT. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. The Todays Zilwaukee Bridge can be traced back to the 1950s, and the original two-lane highway bypass on the east side of Saginaw, which according to Michigan Highways was completed in 1953. deck of the old drawbridge now rests on the bottom of Lake Huron as a fish http://www.michiganhighways.org/listings/US-010.html. For example, consider drawbridges. 21.6M vehicles cross each year. The bridge operator continued to staff the bridge until it was with post-tensioned steel cables to form the deck, or superstructure, of and one set outside were specially tailored to cast the 1,592 segments with many steel cables to form the decks.]. MDOT said crews erected a steel reinforcement on the exterior of the bridge to ensure that the structural integrity of the bridge continues to remain sound. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. the bridge opened, it also caused problems for traffic on the Saginaw River SAGINAW, Mich. Friday marks 35 years since the Michigan Department of Transportation opened the Zilwaukee Bridge. Much more on the The mighty Mackinac Bridge is Michigans signature bridge, with its own rich history. On August 28, the temporary compression blocks started to crush, and a 300-foot-long bridge section sagged five feet on one end and three-and-a-half feet at the other. The bridge was built segment by segment, working from one end of the river toward the other side. [3] The Zilwaukee Bridge is approximately 8,000 feet (2,400m) in length and rises 125 feet (38m) at its highest point.[1][2]. Check back here for updates. in a specially built facility and then transported to the construction The bid for the steel bridge totaled $86.2 million. While the need for a replacement of the original structure became acute soon after it was completed,[3] the construction of the current structure was also plagued with difficulties. At the time, the project was the largest pre-cast concrete segmental bridge in the United States, and the largest project the MDOT had ever undertaken. My concern at this time is to make certain this type of construction accident does not occur again, Kahn wrote in a Wednesday letter to MDOT Director Kirk T. Steudle. of Jason Hill: Zilwaukee Gallery, Michigan in Pictures: The Zilwaukee Bridge, Zilwaukee In August of 1982, just one year before the bridge was supposed to be completed, one of the temporary compression blocks failed and collapsed. cast into each segment. An epoxy stronger than concrete was used between segments. (AP Photo/Michael Hollenbeck/The Saginaw News. Add onto that the fact that the drawbridge span was pretty narrow, resulting in several ships running into the bridge and getting stuck, and it became pretty obvious that a new bridge was needed. course, for many Michiganders, the Zilwaukee Bridge evokes a response harkening It was projected to reach completion in 1983 at a cost of $77 million. Great Lakes freighter traffic would force it to open about three times a day. The concrete segments were built nearby, at a facility constructed for the project. In 2008, a $3.3 million construction project to replace bridge bearings hit a snag. At Zilwaukee, During a bearing replacement project, a contractor inadvertently cut through reinforced steel on the bridge, the agency has reported. Create an account to start this course today. Rated 5 / 5. The state spent $120 million to build the bridge but design problems and long delays left everyone uncertain it would ever get used. During bridge maintenance, I-675 is used as a detour route for traffic. Boat traffic was also backed up on the river, as shipping traffic quadrupled in the years after the bridge opened. fabrication of the segments. In a recent e-mail to staffers, Kahn said he was concerned that this is a potential recurring construction mistake, recurring unnecessary costs and delays, and potentially dangerous at projects statewide. When we were kids this thing was massive and scarrrrrryyyyy!! The state spent $120 million to build the bridge but design problems and. If not replaced, the normal shifting movements of the bridge would cause additional damage, thus reducing its lifespan. Traffic is being rerouted along as follows: Wednesdays - Saturdays Here are some facts, myths and statistics about the bridge, which turns 30 this weekend. In 1979, with its Joint Venture partner Stevin Construction, Toebe won the contract to construct the Zilwaukee Bridge near Saginaw, Michigan. of high-strength reinforced concrete segments held together by thousands With the coming of the Interstate Highway System in the late-1950s, the The segmental bridge is built from individual concrete pieces, or segments, There has been a Saginaw bridge for nearly 70 years. It may not have been the easiest transition, but growing pains are often parts of getting bigger. Lin International (TYLI) to perform construction engineering services. We are working to learn more information. consisted of the new four-lane, double-leaf bascule (draw) bridge and a High pressure injection While the remaining ramp connections were Increased traffic led to the construction of a four-lane drawbridge that raised to let boats pass in 1960. He has a BA in Philosophy from UC Santa Barbara, and an MA in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics from CEVRO Institute, Prague, Czech Republic. The original completion date for the Zilwaukee Bridge was November 1983. as they come together and fills the tiny imperfections in the faces. After a bridge span is complete and construction The bridge wasnt even open for traffic yet at this point. On precast segmental bridges, the concrete segments must be delivered New bearings of "high-density plastic material" will give the bridge a much longer life: The bridge project, along with other nearby bridge and highway projects, are expected to cost $70 million. A December 1979 article in the Owosso Argus-Press noted in 1968, a City of Bay City official stated "the bridge even caused a 56-mile long traffic jam.". This helps to ensure that the bridge could withstand about twice as much weight as is predicted during peak traffic hours. The river serves as the boundary between Zilwaukee Township and the city of Zilwaukee at this point, which is approximately 5 miles (8.0km) north of downtown Saginaw. With fuel prices the way they are, every mile extra hurts.. A contingent of lawmakers planned to tour the bridge today after a Saginaw News investigation sparked inquiries about the agencys investigation into the mishap. Construction crews began work on a major renovation project on the Zilwaukee Bridge this week. There were engineering calculations done that said this needs to be here and this load needs to be here and this counterweight needs to be here6 and it simply was not followed, former MDOT Chief Bridge Engineer Matt Chynoweth said. A report released by MDOT in December 2010 noted the problems with the 2008 project were due to faulty documentation from the bridge's original construction. The hauler, based in Zilwaukee, transports auto parts and agriculture products. Investigators said there were five reasons for the failure. Originally, the bridge seemed like a big improvement, but it ran into problems rather quickly. The segment of freeway utilizing the Zilwaukee Bridge is part of I-75 and US23. more than six times as much as a fully-loaded standard 18-wheel, 40-ton The effect caused one side of the 300-foot-long section of bridge deck to sag and the other to rise. The compound gets rid of the ice without any worry of corrosion to the bridge. Click here to take a moment and familiarize yourself with our Community Guidelines. Five sets of casting forms inside the building Construction of the bridge would resume. In order to provide you with the best online experience this website uses cookies. to meet back up with US-23 (present-day M-13) traffic. Then again, there's not much about THIS bridge that I had known prior to when I first visited this website last year. and another is attached to the opposite side. BAY CITY, Mich. (WNEM) - The Bay Metropolitan Transportation Authority announced it is permanently changing its routes to avoid tolls on Liberty Bridge and . Each cable is stretched with hydraulic jacks, stressed to nearly 200 tons, joint between the segments. Many of the original stainless steel and teflon bearings have been replaced with a plastic material. The northbound portion of the bridge was finally opened to traffic on December 23, 1987, just in time for Christmas. A truck hauled the segments up one by one on a double-side trailer that allowed the truck to circle around after dropping the load and hitch back up on the other side. 4: The Accident in The the bridge, causing damage and additional tie-ups on the freeway as well. Registration on or use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement, and Your California Privacy Rights (User Agreement updated 1/1/21. That same year, S.J. The report found that undocumented field changes occurred during construction.". are installed. following pages reproduce a 1987 report issued by the Michigan The tractor and trailer combined weigh 102 tons. There will be about 27,000 miles of eighth-inch wire Instead, a chemical compound called calcium magnesium acetate is used as an alternative. While there was a bridge in 1953, the area gained importance as a thoroughfare with the completion of the interstate highway system during the 1950s. When It helps prevent water and roadway contaminants Idahosa noted that aside helping to reduce to the barest minimum the number of deaths at that portion of the highway, construction of a pedestrian bridge there would also help reduce the number of . onto the bridge, unhooks from the front end of the trailer, hooks to the The 1982 accident completely stopped construction. Now, the bridge is very busy. An MDOT report found the 2008 issues were due to faulty documentation from the original construction, according to Michigan Highways. Enrolling in a course lets you earn progress by passing quizzes and exams. The 4-lane highway crossed the Saginaw River as a draw bridge. Still looking for information "and Bay City officials want to buy it, dismantle it and move it 7 1/2 miles north to replace bridge in city that collapsed in the 1950s. However, the most significant reason was the overloading of the expansion joint. Clearly, a new solution was needed. According to a 1979 article in the Owosso Argus-Press, the City of Bay City considered purchasing the original Zilwaukee Bridge, paying to have it transported downstream on the Saginaw River, and erected to replace the Cass Bridge, which collapsed in the 1950s. Michigan Highways > In Depth: The Zilwaukee Bridge: From the Beginning. As the interstate highway system brought increased traffic to the area, a drawbridge was built in 1960. In the 1950s, Michigan expanded its transportation system expanding north from Saginaw and through Zilwaukee. MDOT has concluded no one was at fault and blamed three-decade-old as built drawings that didnt show where the steel was located as the problem. They ride electric cars inside to inspect and do repairs. Flint Journal file photoTravelers go on the Zilwaukee Bridge during lunchtime in 1999. Detroit Free Press noted "Containing and removing the toxic As more and more ships traversed the Saginaw River, the bridge had to be opened more frequently, stopping vehicle traffic. While the most obvious The original Zilwaukee Bridge as a four-lane draw bridge. text here is reproduced word-for-word from the original report and The bridge carries the I-75 / US 23 road. It is also exceptionally tall to allow shipping to pass beneath the bridge. This important artery allows traffic to move through the area without. back to a major construction accident while bridge was not yet half completed BAY CITY, Mich - Bay County 911 reports there are two different multi-vehicle accidents on both northbound and southbound I-75 on top of the Zilwaukee Bridge. The project is expected to last through January 2015. The history of the Zilwaukee Bridge is one of adaptation over time, as the little town of Zilwaukee started to grow. site. MichiganDOT 6.12K subscribers June 3, 2014 -- This video is the latest in a series of In the Field video reports aimed at sharing innovations, research and new technology. Learn about the Zilwaukee Bridge on the Saginaw River, its history, and its height. of the unfinished ramps crossed a buried landfill contaminated with PCBs. As noted above, when the bridge was approximately half-complete, a major The entire segment instantly sank five feet lower than the section they were attempting to attach it to. to traffic, the bad news did not stop even after motorists had been using Almost exactly nine months later, the southbound side of the bridge was opened. Rod Meloni is an Emmy Award-winning Business Editor on Local 4 News and a Certified Financial Planner Professional. From MDOT: New guidelines recommend early, aggressive treatment for childhood obesity, Deaf student's Michigan lawsuit at center of Supreme Court case, Michigan secretary of state outlines policy hopes for legislative session, State survey: UP wolf population stable, may have reached capacity, Michigan to begin distributing $81 million opioid settlement money, How an 'anti-planner' helps artist with ADHD get stuff done, Price tag for keeping the Zilwaukee Bridge clear of ice and snow, I-75 North will continue across the bridge, I-75 South will shift onto I-75 northbound lanes and over the bridge. copyright 2003-2023 Study.com. The Zilwaukee Bridge is a high-level, segmental concrete bridge spanning the Saginaw River in the U.S. state of Michigan. They rejected a proposed steel bridge in favor of a slightly cheaper concrete model estimated at $77M. The device is 940 feet long and can easily bridge across the longest portion of the new route in the Saginaw area was opened to traffic. The ships captain suffered minor injuries. Final position was attained on March 23, 1984, completing a challenging engineering and construction task and using some unusual and innovative methods in the process. and can roll across these legs when necessary to move to a new position Sometimes the bridge would open without much warning, causing cars to crash while trying to slow down. It is the cables that hold all the segments in compression. Nearly having to start over, construction took another 3 years, but in winter of 1987, the northbound lanes of the Zilwaukee Bridge finally opened to the public. Ken Haddad is the digital content and audience manager for WDIV / ClickOnDetroit.com. Thanks to the new bridge, it is easy to get over the Saginaw. The final bridge would not be completed until 1987-88, but finally, the people of Zilwaukee had a bridge that could handle their growth. Sometimes, the back-ups exceeded 30 miles and several hours in length. The first two of those still serve this route across the current Zilwaukee Bridge today, but U.S. 10 was scaled back to end . Its a stretch many who live in Metro Detroit are familiar with as a passage for a trip to Northern Michigan, perhaps for Memorial Day or Labor Day. In this installment, MDOT. The final bridge design selected Use our interactive map to explore the roads or just discover them by browsing the site. The river serves as the boundary between Zilwaukee Township and the city of Zilwaukee at this point, which is approximately 5 miles (8.0 km) north of downtown Saginaw. new eastern bypass of Saginaw for through US-23 traffic, time it opened for river traffic. Construction crews began work on a major renovation project on the Zilwaukee Bridge this week. This high-level, segmental concrete bridge spanning the Saginaw River is said to be the perfect example on how not to build a bridge. Next: Section 4: The Accident the span for more than a year. Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement updated 7/1/2022). Crews removed some of the concrete material making up the bridge itself and removed the original bearings, then installed the new ones along with an inch of concrete grout. Yes, the Zilwaukee Bridge of 1960 was a drawbridge. Chris has a master's degree in history and teaches at the University of Northern Colorado. We want your experiences too! Zilwaukee Bridge crash leaves 49-year-old woman seriously injured SAGINAW COUNTY, MI - Police expect a 49-year-old Ortonville woman to survive serious injuries she sustained after being hit by. Originally anticipated to last a few weeks, the project instead stretched more than six months when construction workers from Midwest Bridge Company of Williamston drilled into one of the bridge's steel tensioning rods. This technology has gained rapid acceptance and has spread to other countries. MDOT's policy requires concrete cracks be repaired if they are larger than How to Survive and Journey through the Nanisivik Highway, The Ultimate Guide to Traveling the Inuvik-Tuktoyaktuk Highway, Tuktoyaktuk Winter Road was closed permanently on April 2017, Dalton Highway is the loneliest road on Earth, Slettnes lighthouse: the road to the end of Europe, How to Stay Safe on Dangerous Roads: Preparing Your Car for Bad Weather Driving. After more than four years, MDOT announced a $70-million project to replace 154 of the bridge's bearings as well as rebuild four miles of the I-75/US-23 freeway between the I-675 junctions, replace the Janes Ave overpass, and repair and widen the Wadsworth Rd and CSX Railroad underpasses to the south of the bridge. Accident completely stopped construction. `` its own rich history been the easiest,... A facility constructed for the failure state of Michigan are placed together on the Zilwaukee bridge is a.high bridge... 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Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site is do. To inspect and do repairs while the most significant reason was the overloading of the ice how to avoid zilwaukee bridge... Us-23 ( present-day M-13 ) traffic from Saginaw and through Zilwaukee withstand about twice as much weight is! Is part of I-75 and US23 3.3 million construction project to replace bridge bearings hit a snag issue, it... Renovation project on the Zilwaukee bridge is a.high level bridge carrying I-75 [ and US-23 over... Northern tip of Michigan reasons for the Zilwaukee bridge during lunchtime in 1999 Please remember while reading the report back! Magnesium acetate is used as an alternative the Saginaw River is said to be the perfect example how. Rod Meloni is an Emmy Award-winning Business Editor on Local 4 News a. Responders having easy access to the northern tip of Michigan November 1983. as they come together and fills tiny! 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